This article is from page 1 of the 2008-09-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
BREAKING down language barri- ers has become just another part of the curriculum for two schools in Syivavtcm-velemeyercneveCeyee
Sixteen different languages are spoken by the 78 international stu- dents who make up roughly 20 per cent of the total student population in Ennis Community College.
The picture in St Patrick’s Compre- hensive College, Shannon, is equally
diverse where students from 24 dif- ferent countries attend classes.
The big influx of new students who don’t speak English as a first language, is altering the traditional teaching environment and imposing extra demands on school resources.
“There have been challenges al- right, but at this stage we have fair idea of what methods work best,’ said Matt Power, Principal of Ennis Community College.
“Typically, foreign students that
enter the school at first year, tend to have little problems in adapting. But we have found that problems do arise when you have kids who are 16 and over where English isn’t their first language.”
Teacher’s Union Representatives have also warned that a lack of Eng- lish for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers is hindering inte- gration in many schools.
“We are not getting enough sup- port,’ said Bernie Ruane, Vice-Presi-
dent of the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) and a teacher in St Patrick’s Comprehensive, “The Government are talking about these three per cent frontline cutbacks and if that’s the case, one of the areas targeted in schools in special education needs”. She added, “Children and parents are being put into a system where they don’t know the language and that, at times, can lead to friction.”